Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a broadband wireless technology for fixed and mobile broadband networks to enable broadband data services including data, streaming video, and voice. The robustness to severe interference and fast detection of the synchronization channel or synchronization preamble is crucial to fast cell selection, system timing and frequency acquisition, cell coverage, and cell edge performance, as well as scan latency for the mobile stations.
Mobile WiMAX systems may operate in accordance with standards such as the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.16e-2005 standard, “Air Interface for Fixed and Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Systems,” (February, 2005) and, its evolution, the IEEE 802.16m standard, “Advanced Air Interface.” The IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX) standard specifies a non-hierarchical scheme to detect the cell identifier (Cell-ID), but does not have a structured preamble. Namely, the distinct binary sequences (e.g., 114 binary sequences for 19 cells×6 sectors/cell) that occupy the first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) symbol of each radio frame and span over the entire available system bandwidth using every third sub-carrier only carry the Cell-ID information.